Happy Summer!

Summer prep has begun! Living in a beach town, okay a lake beach town, brings me so much joy. I love seeing the town come alive as the weather starts to warm up. The seasonal shops and restaurants prepare to open and the city workers remove the snow fences and flatten the beach to prepare for tourists. Locals flock to the beach to capture the sunsets and fleeting moments of peace before the excitement ahead.

I grew up in a nowhere town, it was not, is not, a destination by any means. It is a town that you only know of if you or someone you are close to lives or has lived. Nothing ever happened…okay maybe that is not true, but nothing fun ever happened. You saw the same people at the same stores everyday for decades. No, it was not a cute small town like in all the movies. It was a town you leave once you have reached adulthood. It was a town that took forever to change. It was a town that shut down at 10pm. It was a town that did not foster creativity or individuality.

Now, I live in or rather by a town that has a similar small town vibe but not in the boring same people same places way as my home town. It is a small town in the sense of area rather than personality. This small town comes alive in the summer. As a beach town situated on Lake Michigan it is a perfect get away. Although us locals get bored in the winter months and some can be overwhelmed with tourist in the summer, it is a happening place.

I love living in this town, I love going to the beach, I love living in a place that people take time to visit. I love living in a place people consider a desirable destination. We have events and farmers markets and live concerts! The Main Street of our downtown gets blocked off every summer to have outdoor dining for all the restaurants and coffee shops! We have fairs and festivals and a grand firework displays! It is also a very photogenic place. I have taken many a breathtaking picture of sunsets on the lake as well as unnerving pictures of the lake on the days it looks like “The Truman Show.” If you know, you know!

Basically what I am saying is that I love where I live! I am so glad that 6 years ago my Dad got a new job and told us we were moving! At that point in my life I was absolutely desperate for a way out of my hometown. I was desperate for a fresh start. I felt so out of place in where I was living it was painful. I still can feel out of place but not in the same way. I love my current geographical location and although I do want to move somewhere else I will have no problem coming back to visit. I somewhat consider this more of a hometown than my real hometown. I honestly don’t really care about hometowns and do not feel as much, if any, real connection to any place I have or currently live. I think home is wherever you want it to be. For me, I don’t think I have actually found it yet. But that is a topic for another day, another post. For now I will say…I am overall happy with where my feet are planted at the moment. I have plans and hopes for my near future but in the meantime I will appreciate and enjoy all the positive things this place has to offer. Happy Summer Everyone!